Physics of Dust and Sand Storms

Alee K. Obeid
BSc. Mechanical Engineering (Aeronautics)
High Level Post Graduate Aerospace Engineering Student

1. Introduction
The wind-driven emission, transport, and deposition of sand and dust by wind are termed
Aeolian processes, after the Greek god Aeolus, the keeper of the winds. Aeolian processes occur
wherever there is a supply of granular material and atmospheric winds of sufficient strength to
move them. On Earth, this occurs mainly in deserts, on beaches, and in other sparsely vegetated
areas, such as dry lake beds. The blowing of sand and dust in these regions helps shape the
surface through the formation of sand dunes and ripples, the erosion of rocks, and the creation
and transport of soil particles. Moreover, airborne dust particles can be transported thousands of
kilometers from their source region, thereby affecting weather and climate, ecosystem
productivity, the hydrological cycle, and various other components of the Earth system.[Ref.(1)].
But Aeolian processes are not confined to Earth, and also occur on Mars, Venus, and the
Saturnian moon Titan (Greeley and Iversen 1985). On Mars, dust storms occasionally obscure the
sun over entire regions of the planet for days at a time, while their smaller cousins, dust devils,
punctuate the mostly clear daytime skies elsewhere (Balme and Greeley 2006). The surface of
Mars also hosts extensive fields of barchans, transverse, longitudinal, and star-like dunes, as well
as other exotic dune shapes that have not been documented on Earth (Bourke et al. 2010). On
Venus, transverse dunes have been identified by the Magellan orbiter (Weitz et al. 1994), while
the Cassini orbiter has documented extensive longitudinal sand dunes on Titan (Lorenz et al.
2006). [Ref. (1)].
The terms dust and sand usually refer to solid inorganic particles that are derived from
the weathering of rocks. In the geological sciences, sand is defined as mineral (i.e., rock-derived)
particles with diameters between 62.5 and 2,000 m, whereas dust is defined as particles with
diameters smaller than 62.5 m (note that the boundary of 62.5 m differs somewhat between
particle size classification schemes, see Shao 2008, p. 119). In the atmospheric sciences, dust is
usually defined as the material that can be readily suspended by wind (e.g., Shao 2008), whereas
sand is rarely suspended and can thus form sand dunes and ripples, which are collectively termed
bed forms. [Ref. (1)].
Dust storms are among the most severe environmental problems in certain regions of the
World. In where they occur most of the dust in the atmosphere is from Aeolian origin. Estimates
of the total Aeolian dust from deserts in the atmosphere are about
ton/yr (Ning Ai and
Karen R. Polenske). Several authors (JungeC 1979): Ganor E, Mamane Y 1982: Morales C 1979)
have estimated that the Sahara desert alone contributes

ton/yr or between
4066% of the total dust. Dust storms may be traced as far as 4000 km from their origin. [Ref.
(2)].
Dust storms may cause a variety of problems. One of the major problems is a
considerable reduction of visibility that limits various activities, increases traffic accidents, and
may increase the occurrence of vertigo in aircraft pilots (Morales C., 1979; Hagen L.J, Woodruff
N.P. 1973; Middleton N.J, Chaudhary QZ 1988; Dayan U, Heffter J, Miller J, Gutman G 1991;
Yong-Seung C, 1996). Other environmental impacts, reported in the literature (Hagen L.J,
Woodruff N.P. 1973; Mitchell J.M. 1971; Fryrear D.W. 1981; Victor R. Squires. 2007; Jauregui
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E. 1989; Liu C.M. Ou S.S. 1990; Yong-Seung C, Ma-Beong Y. 1996 and Ning Ai and Karen R.
Polenske) include reduced soil fertility and damage to crops, a reduction of solar radiation and in
consequence the efficiency of solar devices, damage to telecommunications and mechanical
systems, dirt, air pollution, increase of respiratory diseases and so on. Three main categories of
reduced visibility are often used to describe the severity of dust storms.
Blowing Dust the horizontal visibility (due to Aeolian dust), is less than 11 km.
Dust Storm the horizontal visibility is less than 1000 m.
Severe Dust Storm the horizontal visibility is less than 200 m. [Ref. (2)].
In some seasons in certain regions of the Middle East and North Africa and for about
30% of the time on average, the dust conditions in the lower troposphere fall into one of these
three categories. Thus, in these regions, dust storms are a very frequent phenomenon and a better
knowledge of their spatial and temporal distribution is of prime importance. A positive
correlation exists between the quantity of dust in the air, and the wind velocity. Whereas, a
negative correlation exists between dust amount and the particles size. Precipitation and/or
vegetation coverage may reduce considerably the amount of dust in the air for a given wind
velocity and/or particles size (Bagnold R.A. 1941; Gillette D.A. 1979; Mitchell J.M. 1971).
Thus, a study of the atmospheric circulation and its impact on the precipitation regime in a given
region is crucial to understand the dust distribution in that region. [Ref. (2)].
A previous attempt to delimit the regions in the Middle-East according to the seasons of
main activity was done by Middleton (Middleton N.J. 1988). He analyzed the dust distribution
over Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Iraq and Iran and his analyses were
based on short periods of data recording and on other data collected over varying lengths of time
from the 1950s and 1960s. The present study extends Middletons analysis in three ways: (a) the
study area was extended to include also data from Turkey, Cyprus, Egypt and Sudan, (b) the
analysis period was extended to 21 years (19731993) and (c) the clustering of the different
stations into coherent regions was done in an objective way using cluster analysis. [Ref. (2)].

1.1 Manners of Wind-Blown particle transport

The transport of particles by wind can occur in several manners, which depend
predominantly on particle size and wind speed (Figure 1.1). As wind speed increases, sand
particles of ~100 m diameter are the first to be moved by fluid drag. After lifting, these particles
hop along the surface in a process known as saltation (Bagnold 1941, Shao 2008), from the Latin
salto, which means to leap or spring. The impact of these saltators on the soil surface can
mobilize particles of a wide range of sizes. Indeed, dust particles are not normally directly lifted
by wind because their interparticle cohesive forces are large compared to aerodynamic forces.
Instead, these small particles are predominantly ejected from the soil by the impacts of saltating
particles (Gillette et al. 1974, Shao et al. 1993a). Following ejection, dust particles are susceptible
to turbulent fluctuations and thus usually enter short-term (~ 20 - 70 m diameter) or long-term
(< ~20 m diameter) suspension (Figure 1.1). Long-term suspended dust can remain in the
atmosphere up to several weeks and can thus be transported thousands of kilometers from source
regions (Gillette and Walker 1977, Zender et al. 2003a, Miller et al. 2006). These dust aerosols
affect the Earth and Mars systems through a wide variety of interactions. [Ref.(1)].
The impacts of saltating particles can also mobilize larger particles. However, the
acceleration of particles with diameters in excess of ~500 m is strongly limited by their large
inertia, and these particles generally do not saltate (Shao, 2008). Instead, they usually settle back
to the soil after a short hop of generally less than a centimeter, in a manner of transport known as
reptation (Ungar and Haff 1987). Alternatively, larger particles can roll or slide along the surface,
driven by impacts of saltating particles and wind drag forces in a mode of transport known as
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creep (Bagnold 1937). Creep and reptation can account for a substantial fraction of the total windblown sand flux (Bagnold 1937, Namikas 2003). [Ref.(1)].
The transport of soil particles by wind can thus be crudely separated into several physical
regimes: long-term suspension (< ~20 m diameter), short-term suspension (~20 70 m),
saltation (~70 500 m), and reptation and creep (> ~500 m) (Figure 1.1). Note that these four
transport modes are not discrete: each mode morphs continuously into the next with changing
wind speed, particle size, and soil size distribution. The divisions based on particle size between
these regimes are thus merely approximate. [Ref.(1)].

Figure 1.1. Schematic of the different modes of Aeolian transport. [Ref.(1)].

A recent study finds that the initial saltation of sand particles induces a static electric field
by friction. Saltating sand acquires a negative charge relative to the ground which in turn loosens
more sand particles which then begin saltating. This process has been found to double the number
of particles predicted by previous theories. (Electric Sand Findings 2008). [Ref. (2)].

1.2 Contribution of study of wind-blown sand and dust to the Earth and
planetary sciences
Wind-blown sand has shaped a substantial portion of the Earths surface by creating sand
dunes and ripples in both coastal and arid regions (Bagnold 1941, Pye and Tsoar 1990), and by
weathering rocks (Greeley and Iversen 1985), which contributes to the creation of soils over long
time periods (Pye 1987). Since Aeolian processes arise from the interaction of wind with the
surface, the study of aeolian bedforms (such as dunes) and aeolian sediments (such as loess soils
or Aeolian marine sediments) can provide information on the past state of both the atmosphere
and the surface (Greeley and Iversen 1985, Pye and Tsoar 1990, Rea 1994). For instance,
important constraints on both the ancient and contemporary history of Mars are provided by the
inference of formative winds and climate from the morphology and observed time evolution of
aeolian surface features (Greeley et al. 1992a). [Ref. (1)].

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2. The physics of wind-blown sand (saltation)

Saltation plays a central role in Aeolian processes since it usually initiates the other forms
of transport, including the emission of dust aerosols that subsequently travel in suspension.
Saltation is initiated when the wind stress is sufficient to lift surface particles into the
fluid stream, which for loose sand occurs around ~ 0.05 N/m2 (Greeley and Iversen 1985).
Following initiation, the lifted particles are accelerated by wind into ballistic trajectories and the
resulting impacts on the soil bed can eject, or splash, new saltating particles into the fluid stream.
This process produces an exponential increase in the particle concentration (Durn et al. 2011a),
which leads to increasing drag on the wind, thereby retarding the wind speed in the saltation layer
(Bagnold 1936). It is this slowing of the wind that acts as a negative feedback by reducing
particle speeds, and thus the splashing of new particles into saltation, which ultimately limits the
number of saltating particles (Owen 1964) and thereby partially determines the characteristics of
steady state saltation. [Ref. (1)].
The physics of Aeolian saltation can thus be roughly divided into four main physical
processes (Anderson and Haff 1991, Kok and Renno 2009a): (i) the initiation of saltation by the
aerodynamic lifting of surface particles, (ii) the subsequent trajectories of saltating particles, (iii)
the splashing of surface particles into saltation by impacting saltators, and (iv) the modification of
the wind profile by the drag of saltating particles. [Ref. (1)].

2.1 Physical Processes of Aeolian Saltation

2.1.1 Emergence of Saltation: The Fluid Threshold
Saltation is initiated by the lifting of a small number of particles by wind stress (Greeley and
Iversen 1985). The value of the wind stress at which this occurs is termed the fluid or static
threshold (Bagnold 1941). This threshold depends not only on the properties of the fluid, but also
on the gravitational and interparticle cohesion forces that oppose the fluid lifting. Dust or Sand
Storms can be initiated by three main ways (a) Aerodynamic Entrainment, (b) Soil aggregate
disintegration, and (c) Saltating aggregate disintegration Figure 2.1. A schematic of the resulting
force balance on a surface particle subjected to wind stress is presented in Figure 2.2. [Ref. (1)].

Figure 2.1. General Scheme showing three different ways to initiate Dust or Sand Storms
(a) Aerodynamic Entrainment, (b) Soil aggregate disintegration, and (c) Saltating aggregate
disintegration.
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The fluid threshold is distinct from the dynamic or impact threshold, which is the lowest
wind stress at which saltation can be sustained after it has been initiated. For most conditions on
Earth and Mars, the impact threshold is smaller than the fluid threshold because the transfer of
momentum to the soil bed through particle impacts is more efficient than through fluid drag.
An expression for the fluid threshold can be derived from the force balance of a
stationary surface particle (Figure 2.1). The surface particle will be entrained by the flow when it
pivots around the point of contact with its supporting neighbor (P in Figure 2.1). This occurs
when the moment of the aerodynamic drag (Fd) and lift (Fl) forces barely exceeds the moment of
the interparticle (Fip) and gravitational (Fg) forces (Greeley and Iversen 1985, Shao and Lu
2000). At the instant of lifting, we thus have that:
(

Where , , and
are the moment arms in Figure 2.1, which are proportional to the particle
diameter
. The effective gravitational force in a fluid, which includes the buoyancy force,
equals
(

Where g is the constant of gravitational acceleration and Dp is the diameter of a sphere with the
same volume as the irregularly-shaped sand particle. The particle density p depends on the
composition of the sand, but equals approximately 2650 kg/m3 for quartz sand on Earth.
Furthermore, the drag force exerted by the fluid on a surface particle protruding into the flow is
given by (Greeley and Iversen 1985, Shao 2008) [Ref. (1)].

Where
is the air density,
is a dimensionless coefficient of the order of ~10 and the shear
velocity
is a scaling parameter proportional to the velocity gradient in boundary layer flow and
is defined as (Stull 1988, White 2006) [Ref. (1)].

The fluid shear stress is equivalent to the flux of horizontal momentum transported downward
through the fluid by viscous and turbulent mixing. A straightforward expression for the fluid
threshold shear velocity
at which saltation is initiated can now be obtained by combining
Eqs. (2.1) - (2.3), which yield (Bagnold, 1941) [Ref. (1)].

Where the constant

is a function of interparticle forces, the lift force, and the Reynolds
number of the flow (Greeley and Iversen 1985). By neglecting these dependencies and fitting Eq.
(2.5) to the fluid threshold of loose sand, for which interparticle forces are small, Bagnold (1941)
obtained
0.10. Note that an expression similar to Eq. (2.5) can be used to describe the
impact threshold
, for which the proportionality constant
0.082 (Bagnold 1937). [Ref.
(1)].

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Figure 2.2. Schematic of the forces acting on a stationary sand particle resting on a bed of
other particles (after Shao and Lu, 2000). Forces are denoted by thick arrows, and their
moment arms relative to the pivoting point P are indicated by thin arrows. When the moment
of the aerodynamic lift and drag forces exceeds that of the gravitational and interparticle

3. Physical Properties of Dust Storms

The key feature in this that dust storm absorbs, emits, and scatters electromagnetic
radiation energy from surroundings (Earth and Sun Electromagnetic Radiation Energy). For this
reason, these properties can be used to detect the dust and sand storms from space by using
specialized sensors and cameras dedicated to detect specific range of frequencies of the
electromagnetic radiation Energy spectrum.

3.1 Types of Radiance used in Dust Storms Detection

3.1.1 Optical (Visible) Sensing
That uses the visible range of electromagnetic energy to recognize dust storms
depending on its transparency to see the land features of a specific region under it in
comparison with a standard image of clear atmosphere for the same region. [Ref. (5)].
3.1.2 Ultra Violet (UV) Sensing
It depends on the physical phenomena that dust particles vary in size and their
distribution. These particles form a major composition of the aerosol concentration in any dust
outbreak event and produce large scattering of the incoming solar radiation. And depending on
smaller dust particles that will be able to scatter short wavelengths like that of UV contained in
solar radiation. [Ref. (5)].
3.1.3 Microwave Sensing
Dust particles vary in size distribution and contribute towards a major portion of the
aerosol concentration in any dust outbreak event. However, dust particles are generally found
to be greater in size than other aerosol particles. [Ref.(5)].
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Therefore, they are not amenable to proper monitoring by optical sensors. The presence
of dust storms over the Indo-Gangetic basin has been corroborated through the use of passive
microwave data. A (23.8 GHz) frequency channel (vertically polarized) is used in AMSU onboard
the Aqua satellite, which measures brightness temperature at near surface level. [Ref. (5)].
3.1.4 Thermal Infrared (IR)
Desert areas can easily be detected from space in the Thermal Infrared Energy (TIE) band
of the electromagnetic spectrum. This was observed over the vast arid ranges of North Africa and
Arabia, by Shenk and Curran [1974] using Nimbus THIR (Temperature Humidity Infrared
Radiometer) data (10.5-12.5 m), by Legrand et al. [1983-1985] and Olivia et al. [1983] using
Meteosat-IR Channel (10.5-12.5 m), and by Ackerman [1989] using (3.7 and 11 m) NOAA
AVHRR (Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer) data. The best sensitivity of the Method
was observed during the middle of the day with a decrease of the radiance outgoing from Earth to
space, and also during the latter half of the night with the increase of this radiance [Legrand et al.,
[1988]. [Ref. (3)].
Dust and Sand Storms would appear, by a specialized thermal infrared energy imaging
system, to be lower in temperature in comparison to the surrounding lands it is hovering above; in
spite of it has a lot of latent heat inside, depending on the time of observation during the day.

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4. Dust Storms in the Middle East: Sources of Origin:

The main region (I) Figure 4.1(B) includes north-eastern Iraq, Iran, Syria, the Gulf region
(Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and UAE) and the southern Arabian Peninsula (southern Saudi Arabia,
Yemen and Oman). This region suffers from considerably more dust storms than the other
regions. The averaged maximum occurs in the summer during which for more than 30% of the
time there is a level of airborne dust that reduces visibility to below 11 km. However, even during
winter, which is the season with the lowest number of dust events, in more than 5% of the time on
average, there is a reduction in visibility due to blowing dust. [Ref. (4)].
The second main region (II) Figure 4.1(C) comprises western Iraq, western Syria, Jordan,
Lebanon, northern Israel, the northern Arabian Peninsula and southern Egypt. This region suffers
from dust mainly in the spring. In that season, for about 15% of the time on average, there is a
reduction in visibility due to dust. In the winter, this figure decreases to about 5% of the time on
average. [Ref. (4)].

(B) Heavy Dust

Measurements during
Summer time

(A) Distribution of
Main Synoptic
Stations

(C) Reasonable Dust

Measurements
during Summer time

Figure 4.1 (A) Distribution of Main Synoptic Stations in the Middle East Region. (B) Main Region (I)
where dust storms are heavily active in summer. (C) Second Main Region (II) where dust storms are
active in spring. [Ref. (4)].
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5. Dust Storm Impacts:

5.1Physical and Environmental Impacts:
A sandstorm can move whole sand dunes. Dust storms can carry large amounts of dust,
so much so that the leading edge of one can appear as a solid wall of dust as much as 1.6 km (1
mile) high. Dust and sand storms which come off the Sahara Desert are locally known as a
simoom or simoon (smm, smn). The haboob (hbb) is a sandstorm prevalent in the region of
Sudan around Khartoum; storms are very common around Khartoum every summer. When it
happens you can't see anything but a wall of sand covering your view. The Sahara desert is a key
source of dust storms, particularly the Bodl Depression (Tsoar H, Pye K 1987) and an area
covering the confluence of Mauritania, Mali, and Algeria. (Storm Report 2007). [Ref. (2)].
Saharan dust storms have increased approximately 10-fold during the half-century since
the 1950s, causing topsoil loss in Niger, Chad, northern Nigeria, and Burkina Faso. In Mauritania
there were just two dust storms a year in the early 1960s, but there are about 80 a year today,
according to Andrew Goudie, a professor of geography at Oxford University. (Environment
2007) ( Lester R. Brown) Levels of Saharan dust coming off the east coast of Africa in June
(2007) were five times those observed in June 2006, and were the highest observed since at least
1999, which may cool Atlantic waters enough to slightly reduce hurricane activity in late 2007
(The Bodl depression et al., 2006) (Nasa). [Ref. (2)].
Dust storms have also been shown to increase the spread of disease across the globe.
Virus spores in the ground are blown into the atmosphere by the storms with the minute particles
then acting like urban smog or acid rain. (Wheaton E.E, Chakravarti A.K., 1990). [Ref. (2)].

5.2Economic Impact:
Dust storms cause soil loss from the dry lands, and worse, they preferentially remove
organic matter and the nutrient-rich lightest particles, thereby reducing agricultural productivity.
Also the abrasive effect of the storm damages young crop plants. Other effects that may impact
the economy are: reduced visibility affecting aircraft and road transportation; reduced sunlight
reaching the surface; increased cloud formation increasing the heat blanket effect; high level dust
sometimes obscures the sun over Florida; effects on human health of breathing dust.
Dust can also have beneficial effects where it deposits: Central and South American rain
forests get most of their mineral nutrients from the Sahara; iron-poor ocean regions get iron; and
dust in Hawaii increases plantain growth. In northern China as well as the mid-western U.S.,
ancient dust storm deposits known as loess are highly fertile soils, but they are also a significant
source of contemporary dust storms when soil-securing vegetation is disturbed. [Ref. (2)].

Page 9 of 10

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